Analysis of an Artist – Tatso Suzuki

Tatsuo Suzuki is a Japanese street photographer that captures life in busy cities through close up photos of people’s faces in black and white. Because of the lack of color, her photos emphasize texture, especially in people’s faces or in architecture. She also uses this to emphasize tone/value of the lighting in the area. The focus on the texture in people’s faces also draws attention to the unique facial expressions within.

Here are some of her photos:

This is the photo I will fully evaluate.

This photo is an excellent example of Tatsuo Suzuki’s photography style. Like all of his photos, this one is in black and white to isolate the audience’s focus on the many elements he centers in his photos. For example, the element of light and tone/value is emphasized by the choice of black and white because it isolated the contrast of light and dark within the photo, where as having color would take the focus away from those elements and would be harder to see, understand and appreciate. Suzuki also went very up close with the main person in the photo, capturing the man’s very strong facial expression and the lines and texture of his face as a product of it. Some example of this is his facial hair and wrinkles, but also the glassy texture of his eye. The last element I think influences Tatsuo Suzuki’s style, probably most, is the element of focus. Whether it is the facial expressions of people, the number of them or the way they are connected to or contrast with their surroundings, people are almost always the main focus of his photos and I plan on taking interesting photos the way Tatsuo Suzuki does.